Hand Facing Away During Throw

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Jan 29, 2017
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Hi everyone, I am involved in training clinics and a travel ball team 5 to 9 year olds.
Recently when showing the "L" position of the throwing hand with the hand facing away I was corrected by a younger coach. What she is telling me in no longer do we instruct hand facing away but to the side facing away from the player. She stats that the hand away position puts too much strain on young players shoulders.
This was recently changed and is what they are teaching these days during certification clinics.
Is there any truth to this? Little long in the tooth but, want to keep abreast of the latest and greatest changes.
Thanks
 
May 24, 2013
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So Cal
Last edited:
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
H
Recently when showing the "L" position of the throwing hand with the hand facing away I was corrected by a younger coach.

Among the problems with the L position (aside from fact that it teaches you to push the ball and not whip it) is that a thrower is never in that position during the throw. At the time a thrower is in that position, with ball up, the lower body is well into facing the target.

Below you see a thrower with lower body turned, and the ball hasn't even come up yet. So the L-position puts the thrower way out of sequence.

throwing.JPG
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
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water bottle drill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
113
Unfortunately, ball pointing to 2b is still all too common, even among younger coaches/instructors (who usually fall into the "former player" category). The intent, as I understand it, is to enable to ball to be released off the fingertips. Starting with the ball pointing to the back of your head will, by the time they rotate the arm around to throw, result in a curveball/sideways spin. My own 8YO keeps doing this - took slo-motion video with my phone to realize what was causing the odd spin.

I also think it's one of those drills taught by instructors who don't try it out for themselves. Maybe it's just my 40-something arm, but there's a noticeable difference in elbow stress when I "assume the L" and point the ball to 2b vs. just pointing it to 3B or even SS. (Nit pic - as I referenced, I think it reduces strain on the elbow, not necessarily the shoulder). So kudo's to the coach for being up-to-date, and to you as well for taking a "trust but verify" approach.

For me, the "L" is more a position that's moved _through_, not a position that we're moving _to_ (implying there's no stop/start of the arm once it reaches that point).

Coogan - when you say "a thrower is never in that position during the throw", do you mean arm up with the shoulders and hips still facing the same direction? I would agree with this. But don't most (all?) overhand throws have the ball elevated behind them at some point (the "L") in the motion?
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Coogan - when you say "a thrower is never in that position during the throw", do you mean arm up with the shoulders and hips still facing the same direction? I would agree with this. But don't most (all?) overhand throws have the ball elevated behind them at some point (the "L") in the motion?

We agree. Just saying that you won't find this position (whole body) in the full motion. With apologies to the model here.

msl_k_jdubois_swillimson_softball_07-24-07_002.jpg
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
113
Apologies to the OP for sidetracking - I think I just watched that video as well. It's from 2009, IIRC, so I don't know if the instructor has changed her thinking on this particular motion. I was surprised to see her teach that, as she's also a certified "Tincher Fluid Dynamics" instructor (which IMO is very similar, if not identical, to the I/R (internal rotation) pitching mechanics found in the DFP pitching threads), so I almost automatically put her in the "teaches it right" category. But like I said - her original video's are from 2009, so she may have even forgotten it still exists!
 

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